The trilogy of erotic novels by Erica Leonard, better known as E. L. James, has captivated the hearts of many readers. Therefore, it was soon decided that it was necessary for the heroes to appear on the screens. It seemed like a very good idea, and, of course, it was implemented. So, already at the beginning of 2020, fans were able to see the long-awaited first of three films. But it turned out that the only one who could appreciate this masterpiece was the viewer, therefore, the profit from the rental was several times higher than the original budget of the film. As for professionals, the film received a lot of negative reviews, and was also awarded the Golden Raspberry. This did not become an obstacle for the creators, and already at the beginning of 2020, viewers will be able to enjoy the continuation of this fascinating and very erotic story called “Fifty Shades Darker.”
The history of the film "Fifty Shades Darker" 2017
Initially, even during the creation of the first film, one of the producers, namely Dana Brunetti, made a statement that the continuation of the story about an unusual relationship between a man and a girl may no longer appear on screens. But, on the eve of the official release of the first part, Sam Taylor-Johnson, who was the director, said that there would still be a sequel. After success at the box office and, despite several not the most prestigious awards in the world of the film industry, in mid-April 2020 it was announced that the release date of the 2020 film “Fifty Shades Darker” was scheduled for February 10, 2020. It also became known that at the same time, but a year later, fans will be able to see the third part. Already according to custom, the creators want to time the release of the films to coincide with Valentine's Day. We hope that they will succeed, and couples in love will be able to celebrate this holiday in an unusual way.
Already at the end of 2020, it became known that the last two parts would be filmed simultaneously, so as not to delay the filming process.
As for the teaser for the second part, it has been available since May 1, 2020, and only for those who bought the digital version of the film “Fifty Shades of Gray.”
The plot of the film "Fifty Shades Darker" 2020
In the first part, the viewer had the opportunity to meet the main character, Anastasia Steele, who studied literature and lived with her friend Catherine Kavanagh. It was her friend who played a very important role in Anastasia’s life. So, Katherine, due to her illness, asked Anastasia to interview the rich and incredibly handsome Christian Gray. The viewer remembers how this first meeting of the main characters went, and it seemed that they were not supposed to see each other again. But everything happened exactly the opposite. One day Christian appears at the store where Anastacia works, and from that moment they begin to get to know each other better and better. The girl discovers a secret about the billionaire's passions, but she is not afraid and signs an unusual agreement with him.
But what will be the plot of the 2017 film Fifty Shades Darker? Fans, of course, have known about this since the second book. We remember that the first part ended with the separation of the heroes. But the second film will begin with Christian and Anastacia going together to the exhibition of her friend Jose. Here Gray buys all the photographs of his beloved. As a result, the main characters make peace. Will everything really be okay? Of course not. They still have a lot of tests to go through. Firstly, Anastasia will get a job where her boss will pester her, which, of course, will not please Gray. Secondly, one of the hero’s subs, Leila, will burst into their lives, making the audience quite nervous.
But the most pleasant moment will be Christian's offer to Anastasia to become his faithful wife. And as we remember, the girl answers her lover “Yes” in an extraordinary way.
These are the main moments that the audience should see on screen. But how the scenes will be written, and how the actors will get used to the role - this will already be known after watching the film. So all that remains is to wait for the premiere and trust that the screenwriters will be able to convey the atmosphere that the author originally intended in his creation.
Actors of the movie "Fifty Shades Darker"
As for which actors will play the main roles in the 2020 film Fifty Shades Darker, we can confidently answer the following.
The role of Anastacia will continue to be played by Dakota Johnson, who already delighted audiences in the first film. Despite the fact that the actress did not receive positive reviews for her acting, the creators did not dare to change her to another actress. Indeed, in such cases the film will not have initial success. Let us remind you that this is not the first experience of acting for Dakota. So, we can see her play in the films “Knocked Up,” “The Social Network” and some others.
Billionaire and handsome Christian Gray will again be played by Jamie Dornan, whom critics were also not very pleased with their good reviews, but, nevertheless, the fair half of humanity fell in love with this hero. By the way, it was the film about Christian Gray that brought James the greatest popularity. But this is not his only work.
Now we can move on to other actors who will delight audiences with their performances in the 2020 film “Fifty Shades Darker.”
So, in the role of Elena Robinsons, Christian’s business partner and girlfriend, who instilled in him a love of unconventional tastes in his sexual life, viewers will see Kim Basinger. She is known for her work in the films "Nine and a Half Weeks" and "Batman".
Anastacia’s friend, namely Jose Rodriguez, will be played by American actor Victor Rasuk, known for his role in the film “Jobs: Empire of Seduction.”
Fans of Tyler Hankley will also be able to see their favorite in the second part. But his role will not be very big. After all, he will play the writer Boyce Fox.
In the role of sabi Christian Layla Williams, viewers will be able to watch Australian actress Belly Heathcote. Let us remember that Belly gained popularity thanks to her role in the film “Time”.
Anastacia's boss, who will pester her, will be played by Canadian actor Eric Johnson. His work in the series “Smallville” and “Rookie Cops” was remembered by many viewers and captivated their hearts. It is worth noting that at first it was planned to give this role to Gurney Cavill. But since he is busy with other projects, viewers will see Eric on the screens instead.
As in the first part, the roles of Christian's sister Mia Gray and best friend Anastasia will be played by the same actresses - Rita Ora and Eloise Mumford, respectively. The former is known for her roles in the films “Southpaw” and “Fast and Furious 6,” while the latter gained popularity thanks to films such as “Lone Star” and “The River.”
Actors and their roles
Dakota Johnson
Dakota Johnson is an American actress and part-time model. Her debut was the film “A Woman Without Rules” (1999) by Antonio Banderas, where she played with her mother (Melanie Griffith) and sister. With the participation of the young actress, you can watch the new film “Actively Searching,” which was released last year.
In the melodrama Fifty Shades Darker, the actress played the main character Anastasia Steele.
Jamie Dornan
Jamie Dornan is a model, musician and actor, originally from the UK. His first work on screen was the drama “Marie Antoinette” by Sofia Coppola, where he was lucky enough to work with Kristen Dunst. He worked as a model for Dior, Calvin Klein and Armani .
The film successfully stars billionaire Christian Grey.
Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson is a 37-year-old Canadian actor. Best known for his characters in Rookie Cops, Smallville, and the film Contempt. He voiced one of the characters in the computer video game Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell.
In the film Fifty Shades Darker, he plays the new negative character Jack Hyde, Anastasia's new boss.
Eloise Mumford
Eloise Mumford is an American actress, 30 years old, born and lives in Washington. She first appeared in the movie Some Guys Don't Quit, but in a cameo role. She truly became famous after the release of Fifty Shades of Gray.
Plays Anastasia's best friend and classmate Katherine Kavanagh. She begins an affair with Elliot Gray, Christian's brother.
Bella Heathcote
Bella Heathcote is an Australian stage and film actress, born in Melbourne. She appeared on television in 2008 with a small role as Peter’s girlfriend in the film “Servants.” Known to viewers from the film “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” (2016).
In the Fifty Shades Darker trilogy, she appeared in a cameo role as the girlfriend of Leila Williams, the former lover of Christian Grey.
Rita Ora
Rita Ora is a 26-year-old actress and part-time talented singer. Her acting career began with the film Spives (2004). Then she briefly appeared in “Fast and Furious.” She was a participant in the selection of the British representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009.
Mia Gray is a cheerful and peace-loving girl, the sister of Christian and Elliot.
Luke Grimes
Luke Grimes is a 33-year-old actor, US citizen. The youth film “All the Boys Love Mandy Lane” and its bright character, teenager Jake, opened the doors to the cinema for him. In addition to the romantic trilogy, fans of the actor last year were able to enjoy his performance in the film The Magnificent Seven .
In the film Fifty Shades Darker, the actor plays ladies' man Elliot Gray.
Kim Basinger
Kim Basinger is a 63-year-old American actress and singer. She has about 40 films/series to her credit. She became in demand after the release of the film “Never Say Never Again” (1983). She received Golden Globe and Oscar awards for her role as a prostitute in the film L.A. Confidential.
In the film Fifty Shades Darker she received the role of Elena Lincoln, a well-groomed older blonde, Christian Grey's first woman.
Marcia Gay Harden
Marcia Gay Harden is an American actress, 57 years old, born in La Jolla, California. The very first picture where she was first introduced to the audience was Image Maker (1986), namely the role of a manager. She won an Oscar for her portrayal of Lee Krasner in Pollock .
In “Fifty Shades Darker,” she perfectly plays the kind, hospitable Mrs. Gray, a wife and loving mother of three children.
Interesting things about the film
- On July 14, scheduled filming took place in Nice. On the same day, the city was subjected to a terrorist attack.
- E. L. James, the author of the novel, created a beautiful collection of lingerie, which increased the already great popularity of the trilogy.
Creators of "Fifty Shades Darker"
It is impossible not to mention the creators of the film, because their team has changed significantly since the release of the first part.
Firstly, the director has changed. So, viewers will no longer see the work of Sam Taylor-Johnson. Due to different approaches to creating the film, Sam did not find a common language with E. L. James, the author of the book; James Foley became the director of the film. He is known for his work on the cult series Hannibal and House of Cards.
For similar reasons, the screenwriter was replaced. Let us remember that in the first part, work on the script was entrusted to Kelly Marcel, known for her work on the script for the film “Saving Mr. Banks.” Now Niall Leonard and the author of the book, E. L., James, will delight viewers with their ideas. Nial has vast experience in writing scripts for both films and TV series. Therefore, she will be able to realize all the ideas of the author of the book, who has no experience in writing scripts for films.
And, of course, it is worth remembering the producers of the project, namely:
- Michael De Luca, whose production career includes films such as “American History X,” “The Mask,” and “Cocaine”;
- Dena Brunetti - became the producer of such popular films as “The Social Network” and “Captain Phillips”, as well as the series “House of Cards”;
- E. L. James will also act as a producer of the film.
It is expected that the 2017 movie “Fifty Shades Darker” will also delight music connoisseurs, because the composer, as in the first part, will be Danny Elfman. Therefore, you will be able to enjoy not only the film adaptation of your favorite book, but also good musical accompaniment.
'Fifty Shades Darker' will be a thriller, and Jamie Dornan will be completely naked
More nudity
And although filming of the second part of the trilogy based on the novels by E. L. James has not yet started, more and more information about the new brainchild of Universal appears in the media every now and then. Thus, hollywod life learned that in the film “50 Shades Darker,” fans have every chance to see Jamie Dornan completely naked. For a frontal scene with the actor's charms, producers are ready to shell out $1.5 million. It is not yet known whether Dornan agreed, but the magazine’s sources assure that the producers are not going to stop at this amount. They will pay as much as needed.
Note that after the release of “50 Shades of Grey,” information appeared in the press that the actor’s wife, Amelia Warner, forbade him to act in nude scenes. You can understand her: who wants to watch your husband shake his delicious buttocks for the whole world to see.
If the first part of the trilogy was a melodrama, then “Fifty Shades Darker” will be a thriller. Although for those who have read the book, this should not come as a surprise. The producers of the film promised that they would not abandon the love scenes; on the contrary, they would become even more frank and hot.
The director's chair is still vacant
The real battle took place over the positions of screenwriter and director of the project. As you know, Sam Taylor-Johnson left the film due to a conflict with the author of the novel, E. L. James. By the way, this lady interfered in the director's process, wanting to ensure that deviations from the book were minimal. According to Hollywood life, E. L. James wants to try his hand at directing the second part. However, Universal is leaning towards hiring a little-known and unpromoted director, whose name will be announced in mid-summer. And this desire is quite understandable, because no eminent director would want to listen to the advice of a professional. After all, writing novels and making films are completely different things.
But the screenwriter's place has already been taken. Niall Leonard succeeds Callie Marcel.
— He was the author of one of the first drafts of the script for the first film, which was not accepted, although it turned out to be a worthy work. We made the film exactly the way I, the studio and the director wanted. “Thank you all,” commented Universal CEO Donna Langley.
Note that usually, when the author sells the film rights, he fades into the background and does not interfere with the director’s work. But E. L. James cheated - she did not sell the rights until the book became a bestseller. And when all the Hollywood film studios begged the author to give up the film rights, only Universal offered the writer partial control over the film. And I have already regretted it more than once.
The premiere of the second film is scheduled for February 10, 2020, although before the scandal with the author of the novel, it was planned to show “Fifty Shades Darker” in 2020. All actors will remain in their places; contracts were initially signed for all three parts of the film.
TO THE POINT
They don't pay enough: Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan demand higher fees
The record-breaking box office receipts of “50 Shades of Gray” also turned the heads of the main characters of the film. Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan are demanding higher salaries. The film grossed $500 million, while the actors received “only” $250 thousand, writes the Hollywood reporter.
